Yosemite Valley I love misty mornings in Yosemite Valley, and always get out before sunrise so I can search for scenes like this one near Swinging Bridge. This photo was taken in early October when there was some fall color in the trees but especially interesting color in the meadow grasses.
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California This is California's largest state park, located in the southeast corner of the state. Named for the explorer Juan Bautista de Anza and for the bighorn sheep, it has mountains, badlands, and wildflowers. I took this sunrise photo from a small group of sand dunes a ways off the Thimble Trail. The desert sand verbena was flowering along the sides of the dune; this one, though, was alone on the top.
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park The air was perfectly clear, allowing the sun to add warmth to the colors of these desert plants growing at the top of a sand dune.